In the field of animal tack elements, equestrian saddles are known to be used, which are designed to be placed on the back of a horse or an equine in general, for improving comfort and safety of the user as he/she sits during riding,
Generally, saddles comprise a tree, which is placed in contact with the back of the animal, and is adapted to define a seating surface for the user, and a pair of lateral elements, typically known as flaps, which are directly connected to the tree on opposites side thereof.
The flaps are designed for the user to lie his/her legs thereon, thereby preventing direct contact between the legs and the sides of the animal.
Equestrian saddles are often equipped with gripping members at the lower edge of the flaps, for improving the grip of the user's leg to the saddle when riding.
Particularly, the gripping members may be paddings, coatings or shock-absorbing inserts sewn to the flaps.
A first drawback of this type of saddle consists in the particularly reduced size of the gripping members, which can promote contact with the user's leg only when the latter is substantially straight.
These members afford a considerably reduced or almost no grip when the user's legs are bent, like in the equestrian discipline of hurdle jumping.
Furthermore, these gripping members are usually made of a homogeneous and resilient material, which is different from the material of which flaps are made, to improve grip at the user's legs.
Nevertheless, the use of a homogeneous and resilient material may cause folding or crinkling of the flap edge as the user's legs move thereon, which may affect the overall comfort of the saddle, and be a nuisance for the saddled animal.
Furthermore, another drawback of this type of saddle is that these gripping members do not protect the lower portion of the flaps from the wear caused by the user's leg rubbing thereon.